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Case 39

Synopsis

A social worker (Zellweger) fights to save a girl from her abusive parents, only to discover that the situation is more dangerous than she ever expected.

Dove Review

I found the first quarter of this movie to be intriguing and interesting. A concerned social worker, up to her neck with 38 active cases, is handed case number 39. This particular case involves a young girl named Lily who is possibly being abused by her parents. When caseworker Emily Jenkins (Renee Zellweger) investigates and visits their home, the parents do seem very odd and evasive. Emily, getting nowhere due to the excessive red tape, gives the girl her personal home phone number and asks her to call her if she needs her. Late one night that is the exact scenario which results. When Emily and her cop friend Mike (Ian McShane) burst into the house they find (without plot spoiling) the parents have placed the girl in an extremely dangerous situation. They are arrested and ultimately Emily lobbies to be allowed to raise the young innocent looking child herself.

And then the supernatural elements kick in and the film, at least for me, headed south quickly. The believability level is tossed out the window and although the film retains a bit of mystery, especially with regards to young Lily and what will happen in the end, it also seems quite ludicrous at times when compared to the film’s initial beginning scenes. Add to this factor the very strong language and graphic violence which is featured in the movie, and you quickly have a non family-friendly film. We are unable to award our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal to this movie.

Content Description

Violence: A lot of bloody violence including blood being seen on wall and very bloody pillows; a few scenes of a woman with a bloody face; a young man murders some relatives in the film and he is seen starting to stab them; a girl is duct taped and placed in an oven and the flames on top of the stove are turned on; a character is tormented and his neck is broken after he sees hornets attacking him including being seen in his ears and one comes out from below his eye and blood is seen; a man is killed in an accident; a woman drives into the water purposely trying to kill someone; a woman has a screwdriver ready to use as a weapon; a vicious dog attacks a man and his bloody face is seen; a woman purposely starts a house fire.

Drugs: A few scenes of drinking.

Nudity: Mild cleavage.

Other: Girl tells adults her parents want to send her to "Hell"; it is said a girl has a demon soul; supernatural elements; intense and scary images.

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